Pat Meehan, the Billings insurance man who is handling publicity and "generally helping out" at the mat card at the Shrine auditorium, is one of the old timers on the grunt and groan circuit.

Pat, now 54, has had his share of championships in the rasslin' arena and left the ring in 1958 after 25 years.

In fact, he was on a Billings card as late as 1957.

The slow-talking big man, still without much of a paunch, recalls he had his first match in Great Falls in 1936, meeting a Lewistown man by the name of Rudy Skarda.

Before turning pro, Meehan proved he knew a bit more about the grunt and groan business than the theatrics by twice winning the Canadian amateur championship.

As a pro, Pat wrestled for the world championship and was once champion of Canada and was Australian champion.

"I spent quite a few years in Australia," he said.

Stu Hart of Calgary, Canada, who is bringing the wrestlers in for the matches, also used to appear in Billings and, according to Meehan, was a tough man to wrestle.

"Stu was left-handed -- he applied his holds with his left hand. It was tough to wrestle a man like that," Meehan grinned.

Other recollections -- The Swedish Angel was a tremendously strong man and not as fragile as he looked. The Angel used to be known as Hands Hanson, because of his strong, huge mitts.

"He put his hands on my neck once and I felt it for days," says Pat.

Lord Albert Mills, a popular villain here in the late 1940's, died recently.

Pat McGill, who used to be put through the wringer every other week when the old Sports Arena was across the street from Cobb Field, is working for the Montana Highway Department in the western part of the state.

Primo Carnera, who turned to wrestling after his spotted boxing career, now has a bar in Los Angeles.

The big-ex heavyweight boxing champ was not too heavy upstairs says Meehan, "but one of the nicest guys in the business."

As for the fights here, Meehan said that interest was good. "I am optimistic. There will be fights every other Thursday."